Travis Null, left, and Connor Klapesky, right, play a team-building game where students interacted with others doing silly actions written on a card during the seventh annual Student Leadership Academy Monday at Conroe High School. less

Travis Null, left, and Connor Klapesky, right, play a team-building game where students interacted with others doing silly actions written on a card during the seventh annual Student Leadership Academy Monday ... more

Image 2 of 5

A group of CISD junior high students play a ball toss game during the Challenger Course of the Student Leadership Academy Monday.

A group of CISD junior high students play a ball toss game during the Challenger Course of the Student Leadership Academy Monday.

Image 3 of 5

CISD junior high students, from each of the schools, involved in the Student Leadership Academy have a sit-down during the Challenger Course to discuss what they had learned during an activity.

CISD junior high students, from each of the schools, involved in the Student Leadership Academy have a sit-down during the Challenger Course to discuss what they had learned during an activity.

Image 4 of 5

CISD junior high students involved in the Student Leadership Academy have a sit-down during the Challenger Course to discuss what they had learned during an activity.

CISD junior high students involved in the Student Leadership Academy have a sit-down during the Challenger Course to discuss what they had learned during an activity.

Image 5 of 5

Student Leadership Academy builds trust, communication

1 / 5

Back to Gallery

Fifty-eight students chosen from each of the Conroe junior high schools will meet several area leaders, take field trips and plan a community service project this week.

The goal of the Student Leadership Academy is to develop student leaders and contributing community members.

The students participated in the Challenge Course Monday, which builds trust, communication, and support.

In addition, they heard from Judge Kathleen Hamilton, Dr. Don Stockton, and a panel of former Student Leadership students who are entering their senior year of high school.

The students said the academy helped them to grow up and learn how to be good leaders and good followers.

Afterward, the students went to a wooded area on the Conroe High School campus to work on team building.

Four groups of students, spread out into various areas of the woods, to play various games; toss balls back and forth with each other and a card game, of sorts, to name a couple.

Brenda Olson, one of the Challenge Course facilitators, told one group of 12 to take a card and do what the card said within two minutes. Some cards said to stare into someone’s eyes for 10 seconds, to do 25.3 jumping jacks and to do a ‘wiggle-waggle.’

Afterward, the students had a sit-down with the facilitator.

“It was creepy,” Peet student Andrew Paulsey said about staring into someone’s eyes for 10 seconds.

Travis Null, who will be a seventh grader at Peet Junior High next school year, said he had learned a lot from the activities.

“I’ve learned that although we attend different schools and live in different areas, we are all the same,” Null said.

Before the Challenger Course, Null had thought that students from other areas of the district were different because of the amount of money they had or that they thought they were better than everyone else. The interaction that the the Challenger Course gives the students changed all of their minds, as they realized they are all similar to each other.

“It gives the kids an extra boost for leadership, tools that they can carry with them,” Suchman said.

His wife, Sheree Suchma, also a retired CISD teacher, said it helps the students realize their potential and become good leaders.

College Park High School Teacher Danielle Rapp said each student has something special that their home campus administrators see.

“Their principals and teachers see something in them. They’ll go back to campus and make an impact, and it’s our job to empower them with skills and confidence,” Rapp said.

Students will tour Lone Star College and have a workshop with former CISD board member Gerald Irons on Personal Leadership Tuesday, visit the 359th District Court, tour the Juvenile Detention Center and U.S. Representative Kevin Brady’s office Wednesday and on Thursday, tour the Lone Star Executive Airport of Montgomery County and have lunch with the junior high principals. The week will end with a celebration at Incredible Pizza.